Operation Crane:
The Crane Report
An Investigation into UK Construction Industry Suicides
The Crane Report
Operation Crane is a UK-based investigation led by DSRM Risk & Crisis Management, a British consultancy with long experience in international death investigations.
The project examines patterns and causes of suicide in the construction industry, taking its name from Orizuru (折鶴) — the folded paper crane, a symbol of hope and resilience. It was inspired by Sadako Sasaki, the 12-year-old who folded a thousand cranes while fighting leukaemia caused by the Hiroshima bombing. Her hope was to live.
This report marks Stage 1 of a multi-phase investigation into suicide in the UK construction industry.
Stage 1 sets out these findings through 9 Sections and outlines the next phases of the investigation, which will move from evidence review to direct engagement with workers, employers, and policymakers. Our aim is to open the way for structural change in an industry where lives are at stake.
You may download the (Pdf) Section Reports below.
No personal details are required.
Sadako Sasaki
1943 ~1955
The Crane Report: Sample Pages
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Introduction &
Executive Summary
Introduction & Executive Summary
We are pleased to share our Stage 1 Report on suicide in the UK construction industry. The report brings together international research and frontline insights to examine why existing strategies have struggled, and what practical steps could make a real difference.
A brief summary of each of the report's sections is included within the Executive Summary.
You can access the full section reports or their summaries by clicking within the relevant boxes below.
Anthony Hegarty MSc
I shall be attending the London Build 2025 Show and look forward to discussing this project with you.
Thank You
Anthony Hegarty MSc
The Crane Report is evolving.
New insights and updates will be added regularly. Check back often—or become a member to get notified the moment new content is available.
Stay informed. Stay engaged.
Key Findings
Multiple aspects of the explanations provided for suicide in the construction industry do not stand up to scrutiny.
This Key Findings Report tests popular explanations against the evidence and exposes overlooked drivers of risk. Reading these findings first will better prepare you to engage with the full section reports, where the deeper patterns and implications are examined in detail.
Stage-1 Investigation:
Key Findings
Section-1
Suicide Typologies - Construction Industry
Section-3
Industry Response -
Suicide Prevention Media
The Crane Report
Section-5
Construction Recruitment &
The Prison Estate
Stage 2 - Surveys
This phase focuses on those individual stories. It will explore personal tragedies and begin to build behavioural and situational profiles. But we can only do this if enough people are willing to share their experiences.
There are two surveys available on this page:
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One for those who found a way back from crisis.
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One for those who knew someone who lost their life to suicide.
These surveys can be completed anonymously if you prefer.
Thank you.
Stage 3 - Industry Collaboration
Structured dialogues with construction firms, unions, and industry bodies to explore their views on root causes and the adequacy of current responses. We invite your input, thoughts, ideas, and what you see as solutions…just a few lines - “What do you think is the problem?”
Often in death investigations, it is just a comment, something inconsequential that someone noticed, that cracks the case. If you can spare a few thoughts, it could be you.
Please send your thoughts to: contact@dsrmrisk.com (Anonymous is Okay)
Stage 4 - Final Crane Report
Incorporating the surveys' analyses as well as the suicide data from Scotland and Northern Ireland (not currently included in official ONS reporting), alongside further refinement of UK-wide analysis.
Together, these stages aim to provide both evidence and lived experience, enabling a clearer understanding of risk and more effective prevention strategies.
Sadako’s thousand cranes were a wish for life. We hope our Final Report will fold the same wish into construction; toward dignity, safety, and life preserved.
